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Friday, October 07, 2005

Theories of the Old School

It was a beautiful, timeless afternoon on the Hill. Regula Franz and Lothar Pausewang were married on the steps of Fulton Hill Studios while several generations of artists, musicians, designers, gardeners, developers and architects looked on. It wasn't an afternoon of lying on sweet blades of grass like those later afternoons of the Twefth Night Passion Play in the late 80's or the evening in the early 90's when we sent smoke signals up into the clouds in search of Gus Garber... but it had a soulfulness that was part Wagnerian, part Salsa and bittersweet dark chocolate. A Swiss, a German and their respective familys chose our beloved Fulton Hill to tie the knot on. It was perfect.

This old school house on a hill is a site I'll always associate with my late 20's and 30's. I spent the better part of my creative life in a studio here with a wall of windows overlooking the Richmond skyline. Now the children of my friends will have to look after it to insure it remains a place for creativity and not commerce. It'll be a tough job since art and commerce have embraced each other like Republicans and religious fundamentalism.